Moments In The Sun
by picdawson
Summary: It's the little moments in life that make it worth living. A series of Dawsey Family One-Shots, in no particular order.
1. New Beginnings

Prompt #2 :"How long have you been standing there?"

* * *

She stands at the mirror, her head tilted to one side as she regards her appearance carefully. Her hair is falling in loose waves about her shoulders, not quite dry from the shower she had taken earlier that morning. She had taken extra care with her makeup, relishing in the time that feeling good for the first morning in weeks had afforded her, and she smiles, proud of herself. Her outfit has been carefully selected; a pair of grey skinny jeans and a loose off the shoulder top in deep purple that she had bought on a whim a couple of weeks ago. She tugs at the bottom of the top a few times, until she is satisfied with the way it sits, her hand absentmindedly coming up to rest on her abdomen. She twists her body slightly and stares at the small bump that has appeared over the past couple of days, a smile tugging at her lips.

She lets her mind wander back to the day her world had turned upside down again. She hadn't allowed herself to feel anything then. She had lived in a constant state of fear, a thousand 'what if's' resounding in her head. Until the eight-week scan. When she had seen her baby, right where it was meant to be, with a strong, beating heart, she had allowed herself to feel, and she had smiled for the first time since she had seen the little pink plus. That was a little over five weeks ago, and now her pregnancy is finally starting to show. A passer-by wouldn't be able to tell, but she knows she isn't going to be able to hide it from her colleagues much longer. She can't keep avoiding caffeine and hiding out in the bathroom during bouts of morning sickness forever, plus she's pretty sure that Brett and Herrmann have already figured it out, and she is grateful for them letting her tell them when she is ready. Rubbing a hand over her stomach again, her smile widens as she thinks that maybe she is ready to tell them.

Movement in her peripheral vision pulls her gaze from her abdomen and she looks up to see her husband in the reflection. He is dressed in casual jeans and a dark green jumper; a gift, she recalls, from Antonio last Christmas. He smiles warmly at her, his eyes twinkling with admiration and she smiles back, watching as he makes his way over to her.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asks.

"Not long," he replies, coming up behind her and snaking his arms around her waist. She leans back into his embrace, closing her eyes and breathing in the familiar scent of his aftershave, relishing in the warmth of his body pressed against hers.

He is quiet a moment, watching her contented face in the mirror, his thumb absent-mindedly stroking her stomach. He chuckles and she opens her eyes, shooting him a questioning look.

"We're actually having a baby." he whispers, amazement evident in his voice, "This is real."

"Yeah," she responds, one of her hands coming up to rest on top of his on her bump, "this is real."

They are quiet once more, both lost in their own thoughts, until Gabby murmurs his name quietly, pulling him back to the present.

"Matt, I was thinking… maybe it's time?" she asks, somewhat nervously, watching as his brows furrow in confusion.

"Time for what?"

"For us to tell everyone," she explains. "I know we were going to wait a couple more weeks, but we're not going to be able to hide it much longer. Besides, I think half of the guys have worked it out and-"

Matt cuts her off with a finger to her lips, and places a soft kiss behind her ear before meeting her eyes once more in the mirror, his smile wide. "I definitely think it's time to tell them. As much as I've enjoyed keeping this to us, it's been so hard not to spill these past few weeks."

"So, we'll tell them today?" she asks, all traces of nervousness melting away from her body.

"Definitely," he agrees, placing a warm kiss on the top of her head before resting his chin on her shoulder and tightening his arms around her body.

They remain that way for as long as possible, both content in the safety of one another's arms, their conjoined hands resting on top of the life they have created together.


	2. Little Do You Know

Prompt #5: "You haven't even touched your food. What's going on?"

* * *

Alderman Matthew Casey loves his job. The difference he makes to the lives of his constituents makes all the hard work and long hours worth it. He never used to mind staying late in meetings to finalize a proposal, or doing an extra hour or two to help a citizen out, but nowadays home time can never come soon enough.

Ever since Louie came into his life, his life has been different. Sure, his relationship with Gabby hasn't really altered at all, if anything they are stronger than ever, but bringing the young boy into their home made them a true family, and, honestly, Matt couldn't be happier. Thoughts of his family waiting for him at home brings a smile to his face as he waits rather impatiently for the lights to change, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel.

He's pretty sure he knows where he will find them when he gets home, and sure enough he's correct; they're sat cross-legged on the floor, heads bent together in concentration as they build towers. They're so focussed on their current project, by the looks of it, a castle, that they aren't even aware of Matt's presence until he softly clears his throat.

Louie notices him instantly, and stands, moving as quickly as his little legs will take him over to his father.

"Daddy!" Louie exclaims, his arms raised. Matt picks the toddler up, his smile widening as the boy wraps his arms tightly around his neck. Matt places a soft kiss to Louie's forehead before moving to join his wife who has pushed herself off the floor and now is sat on the sofa. He sits with Louie in his lap, the toddler's arms still wrapped firmly, and leans over to kiss Gabby.

"Good day?" She asks as he pulls away, brushing a hand over the top of Louie's head.

"Actually, yeah. Plans are moving forward for the new recreation area at the park. Should be approved by the end of the week."

"That's great." She smiles at the pride in Matt's voice. She's proud of him too. She may have had to push him to go for alderman, but seeing all that he has accomplished in the first year of his term, she knows the persuasion was worth it.

"How are you feeling?" Matt asks, a hand coming up to feel her forehead. "Your temperature is back to normal."

"Better. Thanks. The sickness stopped around lunchtime," she explains, taking Matt's hand and squeezing it gently.

The timer sounding in the kitchen interrupts them. Matt squeezes her hand back, and Gabby kisses Louie gently on the top of his head before getting up to go serve dinner. In all honesty, the thought of food is making Gabby's stomach turn, but she cherishes the time she gets to spend with her two favorite men each evening when they are not on shift and she doesn't have to work at Molly's. She plates up the mac and cheese she made earlier that afternoon, giving herself as small a portion as possible. She could play it off as the so-called sickness bug Matt believed she picked up from their young son. In reality, her lack of appetite was one part nerves and two parts dread.

She calls the boys to the table, and the pair wander quickly over, Louie chatting away about his building blocks and the drawing he had done that afternoon, Matt listening intently, trying to decipher the boy's phrases. Louie has come on so much since coming to live with them six months previously, but he is still working to catch up from the delays in his development due to years of movement from foster home to foster home.

They sit, Matt and Louie tucking in instantly, contented noises coming from pair as they eat. Gabby moves the food around her plate distractedly, her mind wandering back to her discovery earlier that morning.

Matt watches her a while, confusion on his brow. He knows she is recovering from a bug Louie picked up from one of the Herrmann children, but there is something further bothering his wife and he is intent to find out what. He calls her name softly three times before she hears him, her head raising and her fork lowering to her plate.

"You haven't touched your food, Gabby. What's going on?" He probes gently.

"Nothing," she bites back a little more defensively than necessary. At his eyebrow raise, she sighs, a hand coming up to rub at her temple. "I just haven't been sleeping well lately and this bug just has me wiped out is all."

"Gabby? Are you sure that's it?" He doesn't want to push her, but he knows how stubborn his wife is, and if something is wrong he would rather have her be mad at him now that bottling it up inside.

She eyes him, and, upon recognising the look he is giving her, admits defeat. "Fine, ok. There is something. But i'll tell you after he's in bed." She motions to Louie, who is munching away on his dinner, oblivious to the tension passing between his parents.

"Ok." he agrees, "But I'm not going to forget." He chuckles softly at the eyeroll she gives him in response before his attention is brought back to Louie when the boy exclaims that he is done and asks to be excused to go play. Gabby wipes his hands and face before sending him and Matt towards the living room to entertain one another whilst she washes the dishes and clears the table.

Their evening routine continues and soon the young family find themselves cuddled up on the sofa, Louie clad in his favorite dinosaur pyjamas his hair still damp from bathtime, fighting sleep in order to see the end of Moana. This is the time of each evening the couple looks forward to most; quiet moments just enjoying each other's company, safe and secure.

This particular evening, however, Gabby cannot allow herself to relax. She's on edge throughout the movie, her mind racing, her palms sweaty. She hears Louie snoring softly and volunteers to put the boy to bed, spending a few moments longer than extra watching him sleep peacefully before rejoining Matt in the living area.

Matt watches her sit down and try to act naturally, but he can see the trepidation on her face. He waits patiently for her to bring up whatever is on her mind, but after two minutes of silence he realises that she's going to need some prompting.

"Gabby?" He takes her hand in his, gaining her attention. When she avoids his gaze, he places the index finger of his free hand under her chin, and gently turns her head to face his. "Whatever it is, we can deal with it together. Just tell me what's wrong?"

"I wasn't sure at first, I mean, the doctor's said it might not ever happen again after last time…" she trails off, taking a deep breath to compose herself. "But after being so sick for longer than a normal sickness bug, I realised I'm late. So I took a test, three actually, and I-"

She stops suddenly, unable to say the words out loud, because saying the words out loud makes them real, and if they are real, she faces the heartache and pain all over again. She breaks eye contact, her gaze lowering to their conjoined hands, conscious of the sweatiness of her palms.

"Gabby? Baby, are you? Are we?" Matt asks, trying to wrap his mind around the information his wife is telling him.

"Pregnant. Yes."

* * *

A/N

Thank you for the positive reaction to chapter one. Those of you who know me from twitter, or tumblr, will recognize the first few OSs as I've posted/talked about them a lot there. I have about 10 completed, and will post them fairly regularly... After that, it will be as and when I can fit writing around uni work and collaborative writing with Zoe for the FireFighterDawson account.

Thanks again,  
Heather x


	3. Lazy Morning

Prompt #17: "Stop it! It tickles!"

* * *

She is aware of three things as she is gently pulled into consciousness; soft sunlight seeping through the cracks of blinds, the steady rise and fall of the chest on which her head is resting, and warm fingers tracing lazy patterns on her exposed right shoulder. She opens her eyes slowly, blinking a few times, before lifting her head slightly to look up at him. He tucks a strand of hair that has fallen in front of her eyes behind her ear, and smiles brightly at her.

"Good morning," she whispers, her voice still laden with sleep, as she matches his smile.

"Morning," he replies, placing a finger of his free hand under her chin and pulling her towards him, lowering his lips to hers in a lingering kiss.

She closes her eyes, one hand coming up to run through his dirty blonde hair, and deepens the kiss eliciting a moan from her husband. Pulling her head back suddenly, he watches intently as she pushes up on her arms, positioning herself above him, legs either side of his hips. She uses one hand to brush her hair over to one side of her head before dropping her head back down and hungrily attacking his lips.

Suddenly, they both freeze, trying to quiet their loud breathing as they listen carefully for the sound of footsteps. Sure enough, their bedroom door opens a few moments later and a small figure makes its way over to Matt's side of the bed.

Gabby extracts her body from Matt's, and rolls back so she's lying on her side, eye contact never breaking with the brown orbs watching her intently.

"Hey buddy," Matt greets, gaining the child's attention.

"Hi," Louie whispers back around the thumb that seems to be permanently in his mouth, the rest of his fingers clasping onto his favorite blue blanket. His other arm stretches out towards his father as he tilts his head to the side and asks, "up, please?"

Matt complies, and lifts the toddler up, sitting him down in the space between him and Gabby. He immediately moves to his mother, his free arm wrapping around her torso. Gabby returns the hug gently, dropping a kiss on his forehead. They break apart, and Louie settles down on his back in-between his parents. Matt and Gabby share a smile as Louie wriggles until he is comfortable, his head resting on Matt's outstretched arm. Gabby takes a hold of his hand, her other hand resting on Louie's stomach, and smiles to herself. In this moment, safe and warm with her two favorite men, she doesn't think life can get any better.

Rumbling from Louie's stomach brings her back to the present, and Gabby gently tickles him, causing him to giggle. Matt joins in too, knowing just the spot on his neck that the toddler finds particularly ticklish. Louie's laughter is contagious, and Matt and Gabby can't stop themselves from joining in.

Eventually Louie cries out, between bouts of giggles, "Stop it! It tickles!"

Matt and Gabby's hands still, and the three of them take a moment or two to regain their composure. When his breathing has returned to normal, Louie looks up at his mother right as his stomach growls again.

"What would you like for breakfast, sweetie?" she asks.

"Pancakes?" he begs sweetly.

"Maybe daddy will make you chocolate chip pancakes whilst mommy gets ready?"

Louie turned his attention back to his father, his eyes wide as he silently pleads for his favorite breakfast.

"I think we can do that. Are you going to help me cook them, buddy?" Matt asks, disentangling himself from the bed sheets and standing up. Louie reaches his arms out, silently asking to be picked up, giving an excited, "yes," in response to Matt's question.

The pair move into the kitchen and quickly set about collecting all the ingredients they need for breakfast. Matt lets Louie stir the eggs, laughing at the concentration on the toddler's face. He passes Louie the flour to pour in the bowl, watching in slow motion as the bowl falls to the floor from the boy's grasp, a white cloud covering the pair. Louie looks up in horror at his father, expecting a scolding for dropping the item, but Matt isn't mad; seeing his son covered in flour, Matt is unable to contain the laughter, and soon Louie's giggles fill the space.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Gabby smiles as she hears her husband and son's uncontrollable laughter coming from the kitchen. Pulling her damp hair up into a messy bun as she walks through the apartment, she shakes her head thinking about the trouble her boys are getting up to. Leaning against the doorway she watches Louie sitting on the kitchen counter, grinning from ear to ear as he watches Matt try to clear up the flour. Matt's efforts are in vain as all he achieves is spreading the mess further.

"I'm no expert, but I think the flour is meant to go into the bowl, not onto the floor," Gabby teases, startling Matt. He turns to face her, a twinkling in his eyes as he makes his way towards her.

"Don't you dare," she warns, taking a step backwards. She tries to be serious, but is unable to keep the smile from her face as she backs up against the wall, her husband closing in fast, his hands full of flour. He grins mischievously before flicking flour towards her, watching as it lands squarely on collarbone. She only takes a moment to recover and quickly sidesteps him, grabbing a handful of flour and throwing it, the majority of it covering his face.

Gabby convinces Louie to be on her team, and together they fight against Matt until the whole kitchen is covered with specs of flour and the three of them are in near hysterics on the floor, tired but happy. Their breakfast plans are forgotten until Louie's stomach rumbles again, causing their laughter to begin anew.

Gabby stands, lifting Louie into her arms, and brushes some of the flour off of his face before kissing his nose. "Let's go get you cleaned up, hmm?" Making her way towards the door, she chuckles softly as she regarded her son. "And I think this time we will leave the flour pouring to daddy."

* * *

A.N. This is quite possibly my favourite one shot I have written so far.. I hope you enjoy the sweet family moment! Heather x


	4. Lose My Cool

Prompt: "I thought you were dead!"

* * *

The first thing Matt is aware of as he enters the apartment at 6 that evening is the quietness of the house. Most days, he will come home to the sound of the TV or the radio; his wife's voice filling the space as she hummed or sang along. He is surprised to find no lights on in the living room, and switches on a lamp as he wanders through the space, continuing his search for Gabby. He remembers seeing her car parked out front, and sees her purse on the side, her phone charging next to it, and yet she is nowhere to be found. He checks the guest room and then makes his way to their bedroom, his worry level rising upon finding it empty.

He is about to phone Antonio to file a missing person's report when he sees light seeping from under the bathroom door. He freezes upon opening the door as his eyes fall onto his wife. She is lying, unmoving, on her back, in the middle of the floor. He quickly drops to his knees besides her.

"Gabby, baby, can you hear me?" he calls, his hand coming up to her neck to check for a pulse.

Gabby groans, opening her eyes quickly, startled by the sudden noise. She looks up at Matt with confusion, a hand coming up to wipe at her eyes.

"What did you wake me for?" Gabby moans, using his arms to pull herself into a sitting position.

"Gabby, I thought you were dead!" he replies, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes checking over her body for any signs of injuries.

She rolls her eyes at him. "Don't be so dramatic."

"Gabby, most people don't take naps on the bathroom floor."

"Most people don't have a baby sitting on their bladder causing them to need to use the bathroom every five minutes." She explained pointedly. "Besides," she added, after a moment of contemplation, "I think she likes the underfloor heating. This is the only place I've found where she'll settle."

Talk of his unborn child causes a huge grin to spread across Matt's face, and he reaches both hands out, placing them gently on Gabby's protruding stomach. He marvels at the life currently growing inside his wife; he never gets tired of the feeling of his daughter as she kicks and elbows, and can't wait for the day she is born and he gets to hold her in his arms. Feeling a solid kick on his hand, he looks back up in awe at Gabby.

"Well, I guess she's awake," Gabby half-moans, unable to keep the smile from her face as she absentmindedly rubs at her bump.

"Wait here?" Matt requests, jumping to his feet. At her nod, he turns and leaves the bathroom. It isn't much of a choice for Gabby anyway; at 35 weeks, her ability to perform everyday tasks is becoming less and less as her daughter grows, and she's not sure if she would even be able to make it off the floor without some assistance from her husband.

Matt returns a few moments later, his arms full of pillows, blankets and snacks. At her questioning gaze he explains, "You're going to get a sore neck and back from lying on this floor. But if it's the only place that the baby will sleep then we'll just have to move into this bathroom."

Gabby lets out a small laugh, getting comfortable on the blankets that Matt is spreading out for them on the floor. He hands her an assortment of snacks, and she is grateful that he has remembered to include foods that she has been craving lately. "Is this dinner?" she teases, placing a piece of candy in her mouth before lying back down. She is confused when he doesn't lie down next to her, but instead lies down by her thighs, his head level with her abdomen, and she smiles when he starts to talk to their daughter.

"Hi baby, it's your daddy here," he begins, grinning from ear to ear when he gets a kick to the hand in response. "I know we haven't met you yet, but I can already tell you're going to be just as beautiful and smart and stubborn as your mom..."

Her daughter's movements still as she responds to the soothing voice of her father, and Gabby smiles. Here in this moment, she is content. Matt continues talking, but Gabby can't make out his words any longer, his gentle tone lulling her quickly to sleep.

* * *

A/N Hello! First of all I must apologize for being absent for so long. Being in my final year of university has been very challenging and so, sadly, writing had to be placed on the back-burner. That being said, I am now only 6 days from being completely finished and so I've pulled out my old one-shot folder. I've got a few finished pieces (including the companion piece to chapter 2) that I will be posting over the next few days/weeks. Again, sorry for the lack of update. I hope you can forgive me. Heather x


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